Evaluating our photograph representing our film genre:

2a) Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing your chosen film genre:
The film which our group produced was called 'The Accident,' we explained how our film represented our chosen film genre, drama. The camera shot we took of this particular photo resembles a 'Crane down, Look up' however it also bears a resemblance to a 'Meduim, Close Up.' The photo contains two teenagers, one male and one female looking down at something or someone in disbelief and in shock! Whilst one of the females hand is placed gently onto her chest, the other is seen gripping onto the staircase in fright. This illustrates that she is in a state of shock as her body language looks shifty. On the other hand, the male teenager looks horror stricken and looks as if he is paralyzed, perhaps this has something to do with the image that is in full view of them. It is clear to the audience that someone else is a part of the scene, due to the absurd reactions on the actors face and the fact that they are both looking down on something. The shot of our photo resembles a 'window' through which the audience are able to look into the world which we have created. Since the audience are unable to identify the third member in the photograph, this draws the viewers in as they want to understand what has happened in the scene and why the actors are looking on in shock. In addition, this adds mystery and uncertainty, perfect when filming a movie to fit into the genre of 'drama.'

b) What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

To create a bright effect, the only source of light which was available to us was two small wall lights, gleaming directly onto the front and back of the actor’s bodies. We used the camera’s manual settings to shoot the photo, steadying the camera until the light beam hit the correct spot to create extra brightness and to make sure that the background was visible to display the mise-en-scene so that it did not cast a shadow on the actor’s expressions or body language. The director found it hard to capture a shocked expression on the actor’s faces as minutes before hand we had been laughing with one another, but we finally managed to pull ourselves together and get back into character which the director used to his advantage and using a fast shutter speed, he took the photograph. I had been deliberately asked to place one of my hands onto my chest in order to show me looking down at the ground in disbelief/horror stricken. We chose to do a ‘Crane Down, Look Up’ photograph for the reason that it looked more realistic and to allow the audience to remember that there is a third person in the scene.

c) Identify what is successful about your shot?

One might say that the shot we created was successful because it outlines the film genre clearly. The lightning is distinctive and the actor’s expression undoubtedly suggests shock and disbelief. Without a doubt, each of these sections which made up the final snapshot worked well together to display the typical, classic conventions of what makes up a ‘drama.’

d) What would you do differently in hindsight?

If I were to re-shoot this photograph, I would definitely, without a doubt make sure that the characters expression looked a lot more realistic rather than looking staged. In my honest opinion, I believe that an actors expression gives a way a lot of what the character is thinking and seeing, if the expression looks staged it might be hard for the viewers to understand and empathise with the character. Whilst this is a minor alteration, I think that with just one adjustment the photograph will look far more realistic and proffessional.